Spiderless gyratory crusher with relief valve system



Max-da 12, 1968 H. w. WINTER 3,372,831,

SPIDERLESS GYRATORY CRUSHER WITH RELIEF VALVEI'SYSTEMl Filed April 25. 1966' United States Patent tlce 3,372,881 SPIDERLESS GYRATORY CRUSHER WITH RELIEF VALVE SYSTEM Heinz W. Winter, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to Allis- Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis. Filed Apr. 25, '1966, Ser. No. 544,872 4 Claims. (Cl. 2411-208) This invention relates generally to gyratory crushers. More specically, this invention relates to a new and improved hydraulically adjusted spiderless gyratory Crusher having a unique relief valve system to prevent uncontrolled hydraulic lifting of the crusher head, and to prevent damage to 4the crusher in the event noncrushable objects are fed `into the Crusher.

It is well known in the crusher art that serious damage can result in a crushing machine if iron or other noncrushable objects are inadvertently fed into the Crusher along with the ore or stone. Accordingly, in most commercial crushing operations, precautions are usually taken to remove any such noncrushable objects from the Crusher feed. Nevertheless, pieces of tramp iron and other noncrushable objects do occasionally nd their Way into the Crusher.

It is common practice therefore, in all types of crushing machines, to provide some sort of release mechanism that will disengage or deflect one or both of the crushing surfaces whenever such a hard object is encountered.

n gyratory crushers having a hydraulically supported inner crushing member, it is most common to provide a relief valve somewhere in the hydraulic support system that will open when the hydraulic pressure therein eX- ceeds a predetermined limit. Therefore, when a piece of tramp iron or the like is pinched between the two crushing surfaces, the pressure in the hydraulic support system will suddenly increase to a point which causes the valve to open. Thereafter, due to the loss of the supporting fluid, the inner crushing member will fall to release the crushing force on the hard object, and thus the object passes on through the crusher without having caused damage thereto.

In hydraulically supported gyratory crushers of the spiderless type wherein an eccentric member directly gyrates the Crusher head rather than the Crusher post, such a simple relief valve arrangement will not usually be Sullicient to prevent damage to the Crusher in the event tramp iron is inadvertently fed into the Crusher. Such a Crusher is designed to provide a lubricating fluid chamber immediately below the Crusher head, which is separate and distinct from the hydraulic support means. Therefore, even though the hydraulic support system may be provided with a relief valve to release the hydraulically supported member, the lubricating fluid pressure in the chamber immediately below the crusher head will tend to maintain the crusher head in place so that the Crusher is not spared from damage.

In addition to the above mentioned problem, the lubricating fluid chamber immediately below the crusher head may cause other problems even during normal crushing operation. For example, when the crusher is cold the lubricating fluid in the chamber may be too viscous to readily flow out of the chamber through the narrow bushing interfaces provided. In such a situation, the fluid pressure in the chamber can eventually build to a point where it actually lifts or floats the crusher head olf of its support means to change the setting of the Crusher. Such an uncontrolled change in the crusher setting cannot usually be tolerated.

This invention is predicated upon my conception and development of a new and improved hydraulically sup- 3,372,881 Patented Mar. 12, 1968 ported gyratory crusher of the spiderless type having a complete relief valve system which will absolutely lower the Crusher head in the event it encounters a noncrushable object. Furthermore, the relief valve system is so designed that it will prevent uncontrolled uplift of the Crusher head due to pressure buildup in the chamber therebenea-th.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved spiderless gyratory Crusher embodying a hydraulic supporting means for the inner crushing member, and having a relief valve system which will lower the inner crushing member to prevent damage to the Crusher in the event a noncrushable object is encountered.

lt is another primary object of this invention to pro` vide a spiderless gyratory Crusher in which uncontrolled Crusher head uplift is eliminated.

It is still another primary object of this invention to provide a complete hydraulic release system for spiderless gyratory crushers having a hydraulically supported inner Crusher member.

These and other objects and advantages are fulfilled by this invention as will become apparent from a full understanding of the following detailed description, especially when considered in conjunction with the attached drawing which is a section-al elevation of a spiderless gyratory Vcrusher utilizing one embodiment of this invention.

Referring to the drawing, one preferred embodiment of this invention comprises a base frame housing 10, having a drive housing portion 11 and a cylindrical hub portion 12 extending vertically therefrom at a right angle to the drive housing 11. A sleeve shaped outer frame structure 13 having a llange 14 is concentrically disposed around the cylindrical hub 12 and secured to the base frame housing 10 by a. plurality of radial support struts 15 and by the drive housing l1.` A concave upper frame structure 17 having a flange 118 is secured horizontally to the sleeve frame 13 at flange 14 by any means such as a plurality of bolts 19. A removable overhanging concave ring 20 is secured horizontally within the concave upper frame 17 concentrically above the hub 12 by any means such as a plurality of bol-ts 21.

A tubular Crusher post 25 having a llange or head portion 26 at the upper end thereof, is concentrically and slidably iitted within the cylindrical hub 12 on the base frame structure 10 and projects vertically upward into the space deiined by the concave ring 20. The lower end of Crusher post 25 is secured to a piston 27 which is slidably fitted within a cylinder 28 in the lower por tion of the base frame housing 10. A cylinder head 29, provided with a hydraulic uid inlet 30, is secured over the lower cylinder opening by any means such as bolts 31. A check and flow control valve 32 connected to an accumulator (not shown) is provided on a iluid line 33 which feeds the lower portion of cylinder 28.

A valve 35, biased by spring 36 against valve seat 37, is disposed within the lower portion of the tubular Crusher post 25 to form a first relief valve assembly. At least one bore 38 is provided through the lower wall of the tubular crusher post 25 communicating between the upper portion of cylindrical space 28 and the hollow inside portion of the tubular crusher post 25 below the rvalve 35. At least one bore 39 is provided through the upper wall of the tubular crusher post 25 immediately below head portion 26 communicating between a conical chamber 40 and the hollow inside portion of the crusher post 25.

A pair of circular bearings and seals 42 are provided at the upper and lower extremities of the bore through cylindrical hub 12 to slidably support the crusher post 25 within the hub 12, and to form an annular fluid chamber 43 between the hub 12 and the crusher post 25. A fluid passage means, such as tube 44 is provided to communicate between the annular chamber 43 and the upper surface of the head 26. A second fluid passage means such as bore 45, extends from the annular chamber 43 to a point outside the base frame housing 10.

A removable intermediate washer 47, having a hole 48 through the axial center thereof, is disposed on top of head 26 and held in place by any means such as lip 49 at the outer periphery of head 26. A pressure bearing 50, having a convex upper surface and a hole 51 through the axial center thereof slidably rests upon the washer 47. A second pressure bearing 52 having a complementary concave lower surface mates with the pressure bearing 59 to form a step bearing assembly 55. Such step bearing assemblies are well known in the crusher art and need not be further detailed here.

A conical crusher head 57, having a cylindrical skirt portion 58 extending downward from the outer periphery thereof, rests upon a support lug 59 which is secured to the upper pressure bearing 52. A conical crusher wearing mantle 619 rests directly over the conical surface of crusher head 57 and is held in place by any means such as nut 61.

An annular eccentric member 63, having a ring gear 64 secured to the lower end thereof, is rotatably mounted over the cylindrical hub 12 of the base frame housing 10, and rests against a circular pressure bearing 65 secured to the base frame 10. The thicker wall portion of the eccentric member 63 is provided with a long vertical bore 66 which penetrates the upper horizontal surface of the eccentric 63 but not the lower horizontal surface thereof. A second bore 67 is provided to communicate between the base of bore 66 and a chamber 68 which houses the base of the eccentric 63. A pressure relief valve 69 is disposed within the outer opening of bore 67.

A rst bushing 70 is disposed between the eccentric member 63 and the hub 12 to facilitate rotation of the eccentric 63 on hub 12. The outer circumference of the eccentric 63 4mates with the inner circumference of the skirt 58 on crusher head 57. Accordingly, a second bushing 71 is disposed therebetween to facilitate rotation of the eccentric 63 within the skirt 58.

A drive shaft 74, rotatably extending through the drive housing 11 on base frame 10, has a pinion gear 75 secured to the inside end thereof. The pinion gear 75 is in meshing engagement with the ring gear 64. Thus, a rotary power source (not shown) acting on shaft 74 can rotate the pinion gear 75 and in turn rotate the ring gear 64 and eccentric 63 about the hub 12. Rotation of the eccentric 63, within the skirt 58 on crusher head 57, will cause the crusher head 57 and wearing mantle 60 thereon to gyrate relative to ring 20 as necessary for the crushing action.

A fluid outlet such as bore 78 is provided to communicate between the chamber 68, which houses the ring gear 64 and pinion gear 75, and outer portion of the base frame housing 10.

Suitable dust seal means, such as dust ring 80 slidably fitted over extension sleeve 81 on the base frame lil` and operating in a suitable groove 82 on the crusher head 57 will keep crushed material and dust out of the chamber 68 and away from all internal bearing and gear surface.

To place the crusher in a condition for operation, a hydraulic lubricating uid must be pumped through the bore 45 and into the annular chamber 43. The lubricant in chamber 43 will lubricate the bearings and seals 42. From the annular chamber 43, the fluid lubricant is forced through tube 44 and hole 48 in washer 47 and hole 51 in pressure bearing 50. The uid will then pass between the washer 47 and convex pressure bearing 50 and between convex pressure bearing d and concave pressure bearing 52 to completely lubricate the step bearing assembly 55. Accordingly, it may be necessary to provide grooves on the surfaces of pressure bearings 50 and 52 to facilitate the iiow of the lubricant. Subsequently, the huid will be collected in chamber 4d until a sufficient uid level and pressure are obtained to force the uid downward lubricating the bushings 70 and 71 in contact with the rotatable eccentric 63. The lubricating uid is collected in chamber 68 to lubricate the intermeshing ring gear 64 and pinion gear 75, and the pressure bearing 65. Excess lubricant will flow out of chamber 68 through bore '78 where it may be collected by any means (not shown) and recirculated.

Another hydraulic uid is pumped through inlet 30 in cylinder head 29 and into the lower portion of cylinder 28 to raise the piston 27, crusher post 25, step bearing assembly 55, crusher head 57 and crushing mantle 6G to the desired position of adjustment.

Crushing can then be commenced upon rotation of shaft 74 which will in turn cause the crusher head 57 and mantle 60 to gyrate relative to the overhanging concave ring 2t?.

When a piece of tramp iron or the like is encountered, it will of course be necessary to immediately lower the crusher head 57 and wearing mantle et) to avoid serious damage to the crusher. In order to effect this, an aocumulator (not shown) is provided on line 33 as in conventional hydraulically supported crusher. Thus, when a piece of tramp iron or the like is pinched between the concave ring 2t) and wearing mantle 60, its resistance to breaking will cause an increase in the downward acting forces along the crusher post 25, and therefore will cause a sudden increase in the hydraulic pressure in the lower portion of cylinder 28. As in conventional crushers, the check valve 32 is set to open upon such a sudden increase in pressure whereby the hydraulic fluid in cylinder 28 is forced out of cylinder 2S and into the accumulator (not shown) permitting the piston 27, crusher post 25, step bearing assembly 55, crusher head 57 and wearing mantle 6ft to fall.

In spiderless gyratory crushers of the type described herein where the eccentric member 63 directly gyrates the crusher head 57 rather than the crusher post 25, such a relief system as described above is not wholly suflicient to prevent damage to the crusher. This is because the lu- 'bricating fluid in chamber 40 will usually be sufficient to prevent the crusher head 57 from falling, even though the piston 27, crusher post 25 and step bearing assembly 55 do fall as described. Therefore, in addition to relieving the hydraulic pressure in the lower portion of cylinder 28, it is necessary in this type of crusher to also relieve the fluid pressure in chamber 40. This is effected by the valve 35. Thus, when a piece of tramp iron or the like causes the pressure in cylinder 28 to increase suddenly, it also causes the pressure in chamber 40 -to increase suddenly. The sudden increase in fluid pressure in chamber 40 acts through bore 39 and the hollow portion of the crusher post 25 to open the valve 35 permitting the lubricant to pass into the upper portion of cylinder 28 behind the falling piston 27. Over a given length of all, the fluid admitted into the upper portion of cylinder 28 by valve 35 will be greater in volume than the fluid exiting the lower portion of cylinder 28 by the force of piston 27. Therefore, the upper portion of cylinder 28 should be open to chamber `68 so that the excessive lubricant from chamber 40 can pass into chamber 68. Accordingly, valve 35 f assures that the crusher head 57 and mantle 60 will fall with the cmsher post 25 and step bearing assembly 55 when a piece of tramp iron or the like is encountered.

When the crusher is started up cold, it is of course likely that the lubricating uid therein will be rather viscous. In fact, the lubricant may be so viscous that it will not readily flow downward from chamber 46 along the contact surfaces of bushings 70 and 71. Therefore, as lubricating iluid is continually pumped into the crusher via bore 45 the pressure in chamber 40 may build up to a point where, in prior art crushers, the fluid pressure will actually lift or oat the crusher head 57 off of the step bearing assembly 55 to reduce the crusher opening or even damage the crusher itself. As described previously, valve 3S is provided as a pressure relief valve for chamber 40. However, since this valve 3S is designed to quickly pass a substantial volume of fluid upon a sudden and substantial pressure increase, it is not suite-d to relieve slow and moderate pressure increases. By this invention, pressure relief valve 69 is provided to pass a small amount of fluid from chamber 40 upon a slight increase in pressure to prevent the crusher head 57 from lifting. Accordingly, relief valve 69 is set to open at some pressure less than that necessary to lift the crusher head 57 or to open the dump valve 35. For example, pressure relief valve 69 might be set to open at 5 lbs. per square inch whereas valve 35 should then be set to open at about lbs. per square inch. Then, when the pressure in chamber 40 increases modestly due to the viscous nature of the lubricating fluid, relief valve 69 will open permitting a portion of the uid in chamber 40 to flow into chamber 68 via bores 66 and 67. If valve 35 were permitted to open in this situation, too much lubricating fluid would be -drained from chamber 40 so that proper lubrication of bushing surfaces 70 and 71 could not be elected. During normal operation when the crusher is hot, the lubricating fluid in chamber 40 should pass freely along the contact surfaces of bushings 70 and 71.

It should be apparent that many modifications could be made in the crusher detailed above without departing from the basic concept of this invention. Accordingly, this invention should not be limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the s-cope of the appending claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a spiderless gyratory crusher having a frame, a vertical crusher post slidably supported by said frame, an overhanging concave ring horizontally supported in a fixed position within the upper portion of said trame concentrically above said crusher post, a crusher head mounted on top of said crusher post with a step bearing assembly therebetween and disposed within the space defined by the concave ring, a hydraulically operated piston assembly supporting the lower end of said crusher post and crusher head to vary the opening dened between said concave ring and said crusher head, a check valve for releasing the hydraulic support from said piston assembly upon a sudden increase in pressure, an eccentric sleeve member rotatably supported on said frame concentrically around said crusher post, a skirt member rigid- 1y supported to said crusher head and extending downward to engage the eccentric circumference of said eccentric member and to form a conical chamber between said crusher head and said eccentric mem-ber, and a means for rotating said eccentric sleeve member, in combination therewith, the improvement comprising: valve means for `quickly releasing the hydraulic pressure in said conical chamber upon a sudden increase in said pressure, and valve means for slowly releasing excessive hydraulic pressure in said conical chamber whenever said pressure exceeds a predetermined value.

2. The spiderless gyratory crusher as described in claim 1 wherein said crusher post comprises a hollow cylindrical tube with the passage therethrough communieating between said conical chamber and a second chamber within the lower portion of said frame, and said valve means for quickly releasing the hydraulic pressure in said conical chamber comprises a. valve within said hollow crusher post, said valve being biased against a valve seat by a spring.

3. The spiderless gyratory crusher as described in claim 1 wherein said eccentric member is provided with a bore communicating between said conical chamber and a second chamber within the lower portion of said frame, and said valve means for slowly releasing the hydraulic pressure in said conical chamber comprises a pressure relief valve secured within said bore through the eccentric member.

4. In a gyratory crusher having a frame, a vertical crusher post slidably supported by said frame, an overhanging concave ring horizontally supported in a xed position within the upper portion of said frame concentrica'lly above said crusher post, a crusher head mounted to top of said crusher post with a step bearing assembly therebetween and disposed within the Space defined by the concave ring, a vertically adjustable piston assembly supporting the lower end of said crusher post and crusher head to vary the opening defined between said concave ring and said crusher head, a check valve for releasing the hydraulic support from said piston assembly upon a sudden increase in pressure, an eccentric sleeve member rotatably supported on said frame concentrically around said crusher post, a skirt member rigidly supported to said crusher head and extending downward to engage the eccentric circumference of said eccentric member and to form a conical chamber between said crusher head and said eccentric member, and a means for rotating said eccentric sleeve member, in combination therewith, the improvement comprising: valve means responsive to a sudden pressure buildup in said conical chamber for quickly releasing the hydraulic pressure in said conical chamber upon such a sudden increase in said pressure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,079,882 5/ 1937 Traylor 241*2.11 X 2,349,790 5/ 1944 Johnson 241--211 2,667,309 1/1954 Becker 241--211 FOREIGN PATENTS 770,261 3/ 1967 Great Britain.

WILLIAM W. DYER, IR., Primary Examiner. FRANK T. YOST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A SPIDERLESS GYRATORY CRUSHER HAVING A FRAME, A VERTICAL CRUSHER POST SLIDABLY SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME, AN OVERHANGING CONCAVE RING HORIZONTALLY SUPPORTED IN A FIXED POSITIONED WITHIN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID FRAME CONCENTRICALLY ABOVE SAID CRUSHER POST, A CRUSHER HEAD MOUNTED ON TOP OF SAID CRUSHER POST WITH A STEP BEARING ASSEMBLY THEREBETWEEN AND DISPOSED WITHIN THE SPACE DEFINED BY THE CONCAVE RING, A HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED PISTON ASSEMBLY SUPPORTING THE LOWER END OF SAID CRUSHER POST AND CRUSHER HEAD TO VARY THE OPENING DEFINED BETWEEN SAID CONCAVE RING AND SAID CRUSHER HEAD, A CHECK VALVE FOR RELEASING THE HYDRAULIC SUPPORT FROM SAID PISTON ASSEMBLY UPON A SUDDEN INCREASE IN PRESSURE, AN ECCENTRIC SLEEVE MEMBER ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME CONCENTRICALLY AROUND SAID CRUSHER POST, A SKIRT MEMBER RIGIDLY SUPPORTED TO SAID CRUSHER HEAD AND EXTENDING DOWNWARD TO ENGAGE THE ECCENTRIC CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID ECCENTRIC MEMBER AND TO FORM A CONICAL CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID CRUSHER HEAD AND SAID ECCENTRIC MEMBER, AND A MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ECCENTRIC SLEEVE MEMBER, IN COMBINATION THEREWITH, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: VALVE MEANS FOR QUICKLY RELEASING THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE IN SAID CONICAL CHAMBER UPON A SUDDEN INCREASE IN SAID PRESSURE, AND VALVE MEANS FOR SLOWLY RELEASING EXCESSIVE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE IN SAID CONICAL CHAMBER WHENEVER SAID PRESSURE EXCEEDS A PREDETERMINED VALUE. 